Written Answers Tuesday 2 March 2011

Scottish Executive

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it awarded the contract for IT work on the 2011 Census.

John Swinney: In June 2008, the Registrar General awarded a contract for work on the 2011 census which included certain IT services and other services such as the printing of the questionnaires.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of the contract for IT work on the 2011 Census.

John Swinney: The value of the contract awarded in June 2008 for back-office services (including printing the questionnaires and other material necessary for the census; providing a website to allow the questionnaire to be completed online and to offer general information and help on the census; the capture of the data on the paper questionnaires and the coding of responses from all questionnaires) was £18.6 million. It is not possible separately to identify the "IT work" involved in the contract.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who was awarded the contract for IT work on the 2011 Census.

John Swinney: The main contract for back office services for the 2011 Census, including certain IT services, was awarded in June 2009 to CACI (UK) Ltd.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it sought regarding the activities of CACI Ltd before awarding it a contract for IT work on the 2011 Census.

John Swinney: As part of the procurement process, the Registrar General obtained references about previous contracts that CACI (UK) Ltd had completed, as assurance of the company’s capability to deliver the required services. The main reference related to Ireland, because CACI (UK) Ltd had provided support services for the two previous Irish censuses.

  The Registrar General also obtained copies of recent published accounts for CACI (UK) Ltd to ensure its financial stability, as well as details of its insurance cover and accreditations, and carried out other research on the status and history of the company.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has concerns regarding CACI Ltd being a wholly owned subsidiary of CACI International.

John Swinney: The contract to help with the Scottish census is with CACI (UK) Ltd. It was awarded under EU procurement rules which do not allow bidders to be excluded because they are subsidiaries of US companies. But the Registrar General put in place contractual precautions described in paragraph 6.8 of Scotland’s Census 2011: A Government Statement , laid before the Parliament in December 2008, to ensure that personal information collected in the census could not leave Scotland and that the US Patriot Act could not catch that information.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding information on the Scotland Against Criminalising Communities website alleging that CACI International Inc., the parent company of CACI Ltd, is a US-based defence contractor that was contracted to provide interrogation services for the US army at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

John Swinney: Interrogation of prisoners is a legal activity, but the website alleges that a different subsidiary of CACI International, working for the US Government in Iraq, was involved in human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib. The company vehemently denies these allegations and strongly deplores any form of abuse of human rights. The allegations of involvement in torture of inmates at Abu Ghraib have never been proved. Nor has the US Government, which court-martialled some of its troops over abuses at Abu Ghraib, taken any action against CACI or its subsidiary.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have written to it raising concerns about CACI Ltd being contracted to provide IT work for the 2011 Census.

John Swinney: 52.

Census

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the awarding of the contract for IT work on the 2011 Census.

John Swinney: A full evaluation of the Census programme, including the awarding of the contract which includes IT support, will take place following the completion of the Census.

Disabled People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to monitor the implementation of the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Keith Brown: The Act states that each local authority is required to publish an annual report on its performance of its functions in relation to the Act. The first reports cover the period 1 October 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are due to be published by 30 June 2011. The Act also requires the Scottish Government to publish a report on the local authorities. That report is due to be laid before the Parliament by 30 September 2011.

Disabled People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial allocation has been made to each local authority to assist with the implementation of the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Keith Brown: During parliamentary passage of the then Bill, no additional funding was deemed necessary for implementation of the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Disabled People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have fully implemented the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Keith Brown: It is the responsibility of each local authority to implement the Act. The Act states that each local authority is required to publish an annual report on its performance of its functions in relation to the Act. The first reports cover the period 1 October 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are due to be published by 30 June 2011.

Disabled People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a report to the Parliament on the progress made by local authorities in implementing the Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

Keith Brown: As set out in the Act, the Scottish Government will lay a report before the Parliament on the performance of local authorities in relation to the Act by 30 September 2011.

Disabled People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will offer funding for disabled people to improve access to elected office in local authorities and the Scottish Parliament.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government fully endorses the principle that opportunities to participate, including standing for elected office, should be open to everyone and that active citizens are at the heart of the democratic process. Ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and similar factors should never constitute a barrier to involvement. The Scottish Parliament is founded on important principles which emphasise the importance of access, power-sharing and equal opportunities.

  The Scottish Government provided funding of £2.1 million over 2008-11 to national disabled people’s organisations with the aim of increasing the participation and inclusion of disabled people in the development and delivery of public policy at a national and local level. Ministers will shortly announce what national disability projects will be funded in 2011-12.

Education

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many outdoor education centre places have been available to schoolchildren in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

  Information from inspection activities suggest that most primary schools provide children with an opportunity to experience a residential outdoor education experience at some point during primary school - most typically during P6 or P7 in which almost all young people participate. Most secondary schools provide young people with an opportunity for at least one residential stay of some description during secondary school but this might not be a traditional outdoor education type experience. Inspections suggest that opportunities for outdoor learning in secondary schools such as participation in the John Muir Award and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Programmes are increasing and support the drive for greater opportunity for and recognition of wider achievement enshrined within the expectations of Curriculum for Excellence.

Education

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many outdoor education centre (a) instructors and (b) team leaders there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Education

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much support it has made available to outdoor education centres in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Michael Russell: Delivery of education is devolved to local authorities and funding for this is included in the local government settlement. It is for education authorities to consider the provision of outdoor education in their areas and make arrangements with providers as necessary, in addition to any facilities that they may operate. They are locally elected and accountable for such decisions.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the calls from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), the UK Faculty of Public Health and the Royal Society for Public Health for a ban on industrial trans fats, whether it will review its position on this matter.

Shona Robison: The current position is to support industry to take voluntary measures which has seen average consumption of trans fats drop to below 1% and to only support placing a limit on trans fats if the evidence supports that there would be a significant health benefit in doing so the Food Standards Agency Scotland has confirmed that there is no new evidence to support a change of position.

  We will continue to keep trans fats levels under close review, actively monitoring outputs of ongoing work and new research in Scotland, the UK and internationally.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the £268.5 million identified in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12 for housing supply will be distributed to local authorities.

Alex Neil: The £268.5 million allocated to Supporting Economic Growth/Housing Supply in the Draft Budget 2011-12 covers a range of expenditure. This includes spending commitments in relation to previously approved affordable housing and regeneration projects, and new investment in affordable housing supply through the New Supply Shared Equity Scheme with Developers (amounting to £5 million), and the Investment and Innovation Fund (IIF) (amounting to £50 million). Our current proposed timetable is that IIF bids will be assessed in June/July 2011 and allocations, including those to local authorities for council house building, will be decided in August 2011.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £268.5 million identified in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12 for housing supply will be distributed to local authorities.

Alex Neil: The £268.5 million allocated to Supporting Economic Growth/Housing Supply in the Draft Budget 2011-12 covers a range of expenditure. This includes spending commitments in relation to previously approved affordable housing and regeneration projects, and new investment in affordable housing supply through the New Supply Shared Equity Scheme with Developers (amounting to £5 million), and the Investment and Innovation Fund (IIF) (amounting to £50 million). Subject to receiving sufficient bids which meet the criteria, we plan to allocate at least £20 million of the IIF to local authorities for council house building.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what formula will be used for distributing the £268.5 million identified in Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12 for housing supply.

Alex Neil: The £268.5 million allocated to Supporting Economic Growth/Housing Supply in the Draft Budget 2011-12 covers a range of expenditure. This includes spending commitments in relation to previously approved affordable housing and regeneration projects, and new investment in affordable housing supply through the New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) Scheme with Developers (amounting to £5 million), and the Investment and Innovation Fund (IIF) (amounting to £50 million). The IIF and NSSE funds will be allocated in due course on the basis of bids from potential housing providers.

Housing

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for taking forward the evaluation of the home loans scheme.

Alex Neil: The evaluation of the Energy Saving Scotland home loans pathfinder scheme was published in December 2010. It is based on interviews and data analysis and therefore provides useful information a number of aspects of the scheme including:

  The customer’s decision making process;

  The mix of customers and what measures they are likely to install;

  The cost effectiveness of loans;

  The difference a loan makes; and

  Recommendations for refinements to the scheme.

  It fulfils the Scottish Government’s aim to determine the receptiveness of domestic consumers to government-backed interest-free loans and gives strong evidence which will be used to inform future development of policy for domestic energy efficiency and micro-renewables.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 6,568 housing completions under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010 were off-the-shelf purchases from private developers.

Alex Neil: Of the 6,568 housing completions under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010, a total of 89 were off the shelf purchases from private developers. This figure includes both low cost home ownership and rent.

  Please see the link to the Housing Statistics for Scotland web pages at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NB-AHIP.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 6,568 housing completions under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010 were rehabilitations.

Alex Neil: As published on the Housing Statistics for Scotland web pages on the Scottish Government website, of the 6,568 housing completions under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010, 385 were rehabilitations. This figure includes all rehabilitations for both low cost home ownership and rent.

  The link to the Housing Statistics for Scotland web pages can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NB-AHIP.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 6,568 housing completions under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010 were for sale.

Alex Neil: Of the 6,568 housing completions under the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2010, a total of 1,469 were completed for low cost home ownership. This figure includes new build, rehabilitation and off the shelf.

  The link to the Housing Statistics for Scotland web pages can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NB-AHIP.

Infertility Services

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received IVF treatment in each of the last three years and what progress has been made in reducing waiting times for treatment.

Shona Robison: Due to concerns about breaching strict confidentiality rules set by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), this information is not currently collected or held centrally by Information Services Division. The activity and success rates of each of the units in Scotland is reported directly to the HFEA and the latest published data for 2008 is available at:

  http://www.hfea.gov.uk/104.html.

  The National Infertility Group was established in April 2010 to help ensure equity and consistency of NHS infertility services, including waiting times, across Scotland. The group will, as part of its work, make recommendations to ministers on waiting times for IVF treatment.

NHS Finance

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what capital investment projects there have been in the NHS, including the level of investment, since 2007.

Nicola Sturgeon: Over the three years of the current spending review period capital investment in NHSScotland has totalled £1.676 billion, an increase of 19.9% on the previous three years. NHS boards operate within delegated limits for the delivery of capital projects. For the majority of NHS boards, the delegated limit is £5 million with projects below that value being approved locally at NHS board level. Accordingly, only details of capital projects with a value in excess of £5 million are held centrally. Capital projects completed or currently in construction since 2007 with a value in excess of £5 million are detailed in the following table:

  

NHS Board
Project
Final Cost £ million
CompletionYear


Ayrshire and Arran
Girvan Community Hospital
20.00
2010


Dumfries and Galloway
Acute Mental Health Services
27.2
2012


Fife
St Andrews Community Hospital and Health Centre
27.00
2009


 
Cupar Community Health Services
9.8
2012


 
General Hospital and Maternity Services (Non PFI Elements) – Victoria Hospital
21.3
2014


 
General Hospital and Maternity Services – Victoria Hospital
170.0
2011


Forth Valley
Clackmannanshire Community Hospital
20.49
2009


 
Forth Valley Royal Hospital
300.00
2010


Grampian
Aberdeen Dental School
20.00
2009


 
Forresterhill Energy Centre
12.5
2011


 
Chalmers Hospital/ Health Centre
15.3
2012


 
Aberdeen Emergency Care Centre
110.0
2013


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
ACADS (Stobhill and Victoria Hospital)
172.8
2008


 
Local Forensic Psychiatric Unit at Stobhill
17.00
2007


 
Modernising Mental Health Services at  Gartnavel Hospital
17.00
2007


 
Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre
86.70
2008


 
Modernisation and Upgrading of Maternity accommodation including New Build at the Southern General Hospital (comprising of a new neonatal unit)
27.87
2009


 
Barrhead Health Centre
17.6
2010


 
Renfrew Health Centre
17.9
2010


 
Glasgow Royal Infirmary Tower - laboratory strategy
17.0
2011


 
New South Glasgow Hospitals Project
841.7
2014


Highland
Nairn Primary Care and Hospital Development – Phase 1
14.3
2009


 
Migdale Community Hospital
8.3
2011


 
Mull and Iona Progressive Centre
5.0
2011


Lanarkshire
Carluke Health Centre
13.60
2010


 
Adults with Complex Needs - Caird House
8.1
2010


 
Coatbridge - Dental and Integrated Resource Centre
13.7
2010


 
Learning Disability Assessment and Treatment Centre
7.3
2010


 
Airdrie Resource Centre
27.0
2012


Lothian
Midlothian Community Hospital
29.60
2010


 
St John’s Elective Surgical Centre Phase 2
6.4
2010


 
Chalmers Hospital
9.6
2011


 
Royal Victoria Building
43.6
2012


 
Musselburgh Primary Care Centre
18.3
2012


Tayside
Loch Leven Health Centre
7.62
2009


 
Perth Dental Treatment Training Centre
7.6
2010


 
Macmillan Palliative Care Unit, Perth
5.9
2010


 
Nuclear Medicine - Ninewells Hospital
10.4
2011


 
Mental Health Developments (Non Profit Distributing)
95.0
2012


Scottish Ambulance Service
Replacement of Emergency Vehicles 
25.5
2009


State Hospital
Redevelopment of State Hospital
92.0
2012


Golden Jubilee National Hospital
Delivering West of Scotland Regional Heart and Lung Centre (Phase 2 Development of level 4)
15.6
2008

National Health Service

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to expedite the discharge of older patients with complex needs from acute hospitals.

Shona Robison: This administration has worked closely with local NHS and local authority partnerships to tackle delayed discharges over the last four years, greatly reducing the number of patients delayed over the six week discharge planning period, and achieving a zero level at the April census in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

  Our Joint Improvement Team has been made available to work with partnerships with specific problems.

  There are some cases where it is not appropriate to discharge a patient within six weeks, such as where there are concerns about someone’s capacity. However, we are working towards reducing the length of these delays with local partnerships, the Mental Welfare Commission and Scottish courts, amongst others.

Planning

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38080 by Keith Brown on 15 December 2010, whether there is a recommended set-back distance for the construction of wind turbines from individual properties.

Keith Brown: There is no recommended fixed distance between turbines and individual properties. The topple distance of a free-standing turbine would be the absolute minimum between it and a neighbouring property. Scottish Government planning advice on wind turbine development, which can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212607/0113777.pdf , states that shadow flicker can generally be dealt with by a separation distance equivalent to 10 rotor diameters of the turbine. Mitigating noise will also have a bearing on what the appropriate separation distance should be.

Planning

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether waste disposal and electricity generation plants applying for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 require planning permission.

Jim Mather: Consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act can be granted only for electricity generating stations and functions on-site which are directly ancillary to electricity generation. Any function on-site which is not ancillary to electricity generation will require planning permission.

Planning

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what emphasis it places on the views of local residents when considering an application for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Jim Mather: All representations made by members of the public, including the views of local residents, are taken into account before ministers determine an application under section 36. In addition, the views of local community councils are an important consideration for Scottish ministers in determining applications.

Planning

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what emphasis it places on the views of the local authority when considering an application for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Jim Mather: For a section 36 application, the relevant local planning authority is a statutory consultee throughout the whole process. The views of the local planning authority are a major factor considered by Scottish ministers in determining these applications.

Schools

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have had renewable energy devices installed, broken down by (a) type of device and (b) local authority area, in each year since 2007.

Michael Russell: The information requested is not held centrally.

Smoking

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39180 by Kenny MacAskill on 7 February 2011, what steps are being taken to ensure that all non-smoking prisoners and staff are protected from passive smoking.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  Smoking by staff and prisoners is not permitted in any enclosed space on SPS property with the exception that prisoners are able to smoke in their cells.

  The Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules, Rule 31, states that no prisoner shall smoke in a prison except:

  In a cell or room in which that prisoner is accommodated by him or herself or;

  In a cell or room in which that prisoner is accommodated and which the Governor designates as a smoking area in accordance with a direction given by Scottish ministers or;

  In the open air; in any place as Scottish ministers may specify in a direction.

  Prisoners admitted to SPS establishments are subject to a cell sharing risk assessment as part of the reception process during which the prisoner can request a non-smoking cell. Where a non-smoking prisoner’s preference cannot be met immediately steps are taken to accommodate the request as soon as possible and for the position to be reviewed within 7 days.

  Blair House at HMYOI Polmont, opened in November 2009 for young offenders aged under 18. Prisoners in this age group are not permitted to purchase tobacco products and therefore Blair House is a totally smoke free environment.